Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Eric Lawson incident had caused quite a stir. He’d been taken to the police station and detained overnight.

By the next day, everyone at his company knew about it. The way people looked at him was a mix of amusement, teasing, and contempt.

I heard that because of his “bad image,” he’d messed up the project he was working on. The client refused to continue cooperating unless they replaced him. So Eric quit—though it was more like he got fired.

The woman was from his office too. She got fired on the spot. After all, no one wanted to associate with someone who had that kind of scandal.

I was so happy after dealing with Eric. To celebrate, we went out for dinner and then hit a bar.

Since it was a happy day, we splurged and booked ten male escorts on the spot!

After a few drinks, I felt lightheaded—my whole body seemed to float. I swayed my slim waist to the DJ’s beats, every move exuding a subtle allure that tugged at the hearts of everyone around me.

Luckily, Vivian had thought ahead—she’d called her boyfriend Ethan Wells to come pick us up later.

But who would’ve thought Ethan would bring that damn guy along too!

One day, my mom called and asked me to go home for a couple of days. When I got downstairs, a flashy Maybach was parked there. It honked twice when it saw me—like it was afraid I wouldn’t notice.

I didn’t even have to think. It could only be Adrian Foster.

I tried to get in my own car, but Adrian grabbed me and stuffed me into his. He even buckled my seatbelt for me—so careful.

A strand of his hair brushed my nose, tickling me.

Adrian and I were so close—I could feel his breath. The faint, clean scent of him filled my nose, lingering around me.

Suddenly, memories of that night flashed through my mind.

A faint blush spread across my fair cheeks.

“What are you thinking about?”

When I snapped back to reality, Adrian was already getting ready to drive.

“Nothing.” I quickly turned my head to look out the window, not wanting him to see through me.

This annoying guy was so good at seducing people. I wasn’t going to fall for it.

As soon as the car stopped at the door, my mom came out. She grabbed Adrian’s hand and pulled him inside—totally ignoring me, her own daughter.

Watching Adrian chat happily with my mom, I pouted in annoyance.

What a scheming man! He’d even won my mom over!

When I walked in, the dining table was covered with food—there was so much, it almost didn’t fit. And Adrian’s mom was there too.

“Auntie!” I ran over, hugged her waist, and rested my head on her shoulder—acting cute.

“Oh, Anna! I haven’t seen you in ages!”

Auntie patted my back gently, then pulled me away to look at me.

“Let auntie check—have you lost weight again?”

“Mom, she’s doing just fine. It’s a miracle she hasn’t turned into a ball.” Adrian stood beside us, teasing.

I glared at him fiercely.

“You’re the one who’d turn into a ball! I’m perfect the way I am!”

I had a tiny face, a slim waist, thin arms, and slender legs. My curves were exactly where they should be. My figure was amazing!

“Auntie will teach him a lesson later.”

“Auntie’s the best!” I clung to her arm and rubbed my cheek against it.

“Suling, you spoil Anna too much. She’ll get too cocky.” My mom laughed, shaking her head.

“Mom, you have no idea—Anna’s always hitting me. Either she’s hitting me, or she’s on her way to hit me.” Adrian complained.

“Haha… Alright, alright—let’s eat before the food gets cold!”

I had to admit, the nanny’s cooking was way better than anything else. I ate two big bowls of rice in a row.

“If you eat any more, you’ll turn into a pig.” A mocking voice cut in.

“It’s none of your business!”

This guy couldn’t even let me eat in peace. He had to annoy me every two minutes. He really was my arch-nemesis!

Adrian’s family lived next door to mine. Our parents were close friends, so we’d grown up together. But Adrian was four years older than me, so his parents always spoiled me a little more.

If I told them Adrian had upset me, he’d definitely get scolded. Once, he took me out to play, and I accidentally hit my forehead on something. It bleeding a lot. Uncle was so angry, he grabbed a ruler and chased Adrian around the house to hit him.

I was little back then, and I was terrified I’d get a scar—I’d look ugly! But Adrian stood beside me, his eyes teary, trying to comfort me.

“It’s okay. If you get a scar, I’ll marry you.”

I was touched—until he opened his mouth again and got himself hit.

“You’re so ugly now—probably only I’d be willing to marry you.”

When we stayed at home, we couldn’t avoid the usual small talk.

We all sat on the sofa, eating fruit and chatting. Every now and then, we’d talk about which friend’s son or daughter had gotten married, or who had become a grandparent.

Auntie took my hand and asked warmly, “Anna, do you have a boyfriend yet?”

I immediately shook my head, nervous. “No… No!”

“You’re still shy with auntie? When you have one, bring him home—let auntie check him out for you.”

As soon as Auntie finished asking me, my mom jumped in.

She turned to Adrian, grinning. “Huaiyan, do you have a girlfriend?”

Adrian glanced at me subtly, then said calmly, “We live together.”

“Cough… Cough cough…”

I choked on my drink when I heard that.

Auntie patted my back worriedly. “Anna, slow down.”

“I’m fine… Auntie.”

Wait—who was he living with right now?

That was me!

So he was saying we lived together?

If I let him keep talking, he’d blow everything out of proportion.

I quickly changed the subject. “Mom, Auntie—when are Dad and Uncle coming back? I haven’t seen them in ages.”

“They’re on a business trip abroad. They said they’ll bring you a gift when they get back.”

“Anna, you need to hurry up too.”

Just then, Auntie added, “How about I take Anna to the dinner party in a few days? Maybe she’ll meet someone she likes.”

Adrian looked over at me. For some reason, I felt guilty—and quickly declined.